A few years ago, Nashville gospel, soul and R&B musician Kyshona had a day off in D.C. while on tour, and stopped by the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Kyshona, who performs in Eugene on August 7 at The Hybrid Gallery, says she has aunts on both sides of her family who are genealogists, so she already knew quite a bit about her family history. But like many African Americans, the paper trail only led so far back. Kyshona, who sings in a blues-inflected, belting alto, worked with a museum genealogist to find out more, and what she discovered changed everything. Those revelations were threaded into Legacy, Kyshona’s critically acclaimed album which was released last year. The album features guest appearances from Keb’ Mo’ and Ruthie Foster, among others, whose work inspires Kyshona’s music. Kyshona will accompany herself on guitar in Eugene, but Legacy is a fully formed record, with horn arrangements, soulful grooves and complex vocal harmonies. As a singer, Kyshona recalls newer trendsetters like Alicia Keys, with reverential nods to all-time greats like Aretha Franklin. She’s a classically trained oboist and licensed music therapist, too, who only started writing songs in her twenties. “I use music therapy techniques when I’m on stage,” she tells Eugene Weekly in a phone call. “I always say: ‘I’m not here to perform. We’re here to have an exchange.’ So I invite them to respond and speak to me like we have a conversation back and forth. I feel like I’m still doing music therapy, not only in the traditional sense, but also on stages with audiences.” And referring to the songs she writes, she says, “I’m telling a story, and however the music supports that, that’s what it is. I’m not thinking, ‘I’m going to write a blues song. I’m not going to write a soul song.’ I’m just writing.” 

Kyshona performs with Eugene’s The Elena Leona Project 7:30 pm Thursday, August 7 at The Hybrid Gallery, 941 West 3rd Avenue. Tickets are $18 advance, $20 day of show. The concert is 21-plus.